All over Ireland, there are properties in need of serious repair and The Great House Revival champions the bravery of those willing to take them on. But restoring old buildings is never easy.
The series charts the highs and lows of such complicated building projects, from tight timeframes to the relentless surprising challenges which older structures generate. Watch it back on RTÉ Player.
This renovated barn has a gorgeous mix of old and new with a New York loft vibe. 😍#HomeOfTheYear continues tomorrow night at 8.30pm. pic.twitter.com/44KjXFAgnE
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) March 9, 2020
Last night, host Hugh Wallace met Ronan and Charles, a couple who are now the proud owners of Kilglass House in Longford, a building that was formerly an 18th-century rectory.
The building required urgent attention to save it from encroaching damp, falling ceilings and crumbling rendering.
The initial budget of €125,000 was spent on the structural work alone which was needed to keep the house from falling apart, losing three rooms which collapsed along the way.
With an almost spent budget, Charles works three weeks a month in London and Ronan works two weeks on and two weeks off, in order to fund the rest of the restoration through their wages.
The loveliest thing about #TheGreatHouseRevival is that it's not about houses at all, but about people and their stories and their dreams. Never forget to dream.
— Philip Nolan (@philipnolan1) March 8, 2020
Born and raised in London, Ronan is fulfilling his immigrant parent's dream of returning home to Ireland and, by the looks of last night's episode, was willing to bring an extreme DIY approach to the project in order to get it over the line.
Learning from Youtube tutorials he hoped to restore as much of the old home as possible in order to make Kilglass their forever home.
Click through the gallery above to see the final results.
